A development trend of a next generation wireless network is network heterogeneity and densification. On a heterogeneous network (HetNet), a macro cell provides basic and continuous coverage in a wide area, and a small cell provides local coverage in a small area, so as to improve coverage for a blind spot or increase a capacity of a system for a hotspot area. To further meet a user requirement for a high-speed data rate and increase a capacity of a network system, wireless access points need to be densely deployed on a network. Network densification imposes a very high requirement for a capability of a backhaul link, and use of a wireless backhaul link is a potential method. In addition, with service diversification, connections of a next generation wireless network are increasingly complex, and connections such as an Machine-to-Machine (M2M) connection are included.
Conventional cell selection is based on signal strength, and a terminal selects a cell that has a best reference signal as a serving cell or a cell to be camped on. Because capabilities of cells on the HetNet are different, a cell selection mechanism based on the signal strength is inappropriate.